Good Blood on This Hit?

[Desk Jockey]

My body hit a doe whitetail with an expandable on a quartering away shot. Pass through. It passed under the scapula but outside the rib cage and came out the brisket. Tons of bright red oxygenated blood like that.

She went a couple of hundred yards. Uphill, down hill. Took a while to find her as the blood trail became intermittent. She almost made it to a pretty significant down hill that might have allowed her to disappear down the bottom of a valley in some thick brush. Would have been a tough track. She dropped less than 100 yards from the lip of that drop off. Arrow had a pretty decent exit wound but it was partially closed by a skin flap and no lung penetration.

Not sure what happened to your bull. Reading you post, I think you did the right thing but the one thought I have is I might not have been as picky with a follow up shot. In the cases where I have high certainty that I have made a lethal or significant hit on the first shot, I am willing to take just about any shot by way of follow up. I figure it’s better to get another arrow in the animal to decrease the chance it gets away from me.

 

[DAOutfitters208]

I had a similar experience. I had a low hit, only drops of blood to track. Specks in reality after the first good splotch I found. Spent all day following drops. Thought I lost the trail till my friend found some going uphill. He kept saying it was probably a bad hit and not fatal. Well we kept following the trail and at the end lay my biggest bull to date. His heart was destroyed and the most of the blood stayed in the cavity of the bull. He went 400 yds from where I shot him in thick woods similar to yours.

The reason I didn't stop was in a prior year I had to help track a bull my buddy was confident he hit well. Very little blood to track, arrow looked good but there were only little drops to track. Arrow was covered so I figured it was a good hit. I started making big circles around the last drop we found and found him. He had doubled back and went up hill. That was a pass through on the heart, but the blood just pooled up inside and left very little to track on the ground.

The initial blood you posted was more than I had to go off. They are tough animals. Not every blood trail on a good hit is a text book gusher. Always keep looking is my motto. My buddy gave up last year, only to find him days later 200 yds where he lost blood and gave up. I wished he would have called me for help.

 

[adamantine]

2 years ago I shot at a bull at 35 yds, but held low (+ my bow was off by 8 inches low when I later verified it, even with a spot hogg?). Long story short, we saw the arrow go low and impact somewhere near the very bottom of torso in the brisket.

Epic epic blood. Everywhere, coating everything. Bright, frothy red, literally 4-5 quarts worth in the next 200 yards. Then less, and less, and less.

Fortunately it had just snowed, so we backed out after we followed the bull up a 500ft ridge. Next day we jumped him from his bed (which showed pus from healing wound) and saw he was totally fine.

All that to say, if it's truly just a brisket hit, it can bleed like crazy with lung-ish looking blood and the animal will be totally fine. Definitely spend a full day or two looking, but that's my experience, hopefully it helps.

My experience is that everyone talks about tucking in a close, low shoulder shot. That's great if you're 100% confident in the shot, but IMO a 6 inches back from the crease halfway up the body shot is almost as effective and has a far larger margin for error. Just something I learned the hard way

 

[DWBMontana]

I doubt this will be popular on this site, did you find the bull? If not have you burned the tag?

 

[IndiaZero3]

I doubt this will be popular on this site, did you find the bull? If not have you burned the tag?

Headed back out in the morning for one last search, then closing the chapter. Cut the tag the night I shot him. He could have survived, and I hope that's the case, but I didn't like the odds. Tough, bit I still have a Washington tag, so it didn't end my season.

 

[Flatgo]

Man that’s a tough break. It’s amazing to me even in the vitals an inch one way or the other can kill a bull so much faster. I will say from my experience if the bull did not die in the 100 yds the chances of finding it are cut in half or more

 

[Piscatory_4]

I hit one low in the chest and assumed it would catch the heart. I looked for 4 days and found him.92 mile from the shot. It must have missed heart and lungs. It happens; still gut-wrenching.


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Did the same with a cow a few years ago, looked like heart shot, great squirts of blood for a good while then slowed to just drops and pretty much stopped. She was still with the herd and I ran out of daylight. Found her around noon next day about 1.5 miles away still warm but been dead for a while and already spoiled. Just missed heart and lungs but nicked the front of gut. With the amount of blood we figured she would be down real soon like when she was trying to come out of the creek bottom.

 

[primos1]

Very difficult to lose one. Watch for Ravens, bring a dog(s) there, approach area from other directions (new perspective). Good luck

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[GregB]

The bull I shot last year had zero blood. I spent 3 hours or so searching for him or any sign of blood. Found him 80 yards from where I shot him, didn't see him till I almost stepped on him. Arrow was buried to the fletching so the hole was plugged up. I thought the shot was good, but it felt pretty hopeless not finding any blood or even my arrow. I learned things are not always as hopeless as they seem, good luck.

 

[87TT]

Did you find him?
I shot a bull two years ago with a 100 gr Muzzy 3 blade. My arrows were about 100 gr lighter and my bow was a few lbs lower. I had a so so blood trail but it eventually ran out and I lost him. No pass through. I did find him a week later with the help of the birds. A big bear was sitting on him having breakfast.
I have switched to Kudupoint 125 gr with a heavier arrow (500 gr) my poundage is up to 70#.
This last Friday I called in a spike and drilled him at 15 yards. He spun just as I released so it was a 1/4 away and went in a bit back. Zipped right Through. The arrow looked just like yours. He ran about 100 yards and I thought he was going down. He was standing there wobbling and I was preparing a follow up 100 yard shot (practice that daily). He then walked up over a hill. As I walked over and picked up the arrow and look for blood, it busted out raining hard. What blood there may have been was GONE. I resisted the urge to follow him for about 45 min as light was fading. Shot was at a little after 7 PM. I was pretty sure he just walked over the hill and died. I walked up the hill and followed his tracks that were in rocky ground as best as I could. I was relieved to find him about 50 yards over the hill dead. I hunt solo and it was a long night. I broke him down by headlamp. Hung three quarters in a tree and packed out a hind, both back straps and both tenderloins in the first trip. I made two more trips that night finishing just at sunup. Luckily it was only about a mile and a half from my Samurai.

 

[IndiaZero3]

Did you find him?
I shot a bull two years ago with a 100 gr Muzzy 3 blade. My arrows were about 100 gr lighter and my bow was a few lbs lower. I had a so so blood trail but it eventually ran out and I lost him. No pass through. I did find him a week later with the help of the birds. A big bear was sitting on him having breakfast.
I have switched to Kudupoint 125 gr with a heavier arrow (500 gr) my poundage is up to 70#.
This last Friday I called in a spike and drilled him at 15 yards. He spun just as I released so it was a 1/4 away and went in a bit back. Zipped right Through. The arrow looked just like yours. He ran about 100 yards and I thought he was going down. He was standing there wobbling and I was preparing a follow up 100 yard shot (practice that daily). He then walked up over a hill. As I walked over and picked up the arrow and look for blood, it busted out raining hard. What blood there may have been was GONE. I resisted the urge to follow him for about 45 min as light was fading. Shot was at a little after 7 PM. I was pretty sure he just walked over the hill and died. I walked up the hill and followed his tracks that were in rocky ground as best as I could. I was relieved to find him about 50 yards over the hill dead. I hunt solo and it was a long night. I broke him down by headlamp. Hung three quarters in a tree and packed out a hind, both back straps and both tenderloins in the first trip. I made two more trips that night finishing just at sunup. Luckily it was only about a mile and a half from my Samurai.

Spent most of the day Friday searching. Was hoping the birds would lead me to him. I was able to cover a ton of ground, but didn't find anything. Hoping he made it.

Glad yours worked out, congrats.

 

[87TT]

Thanks. I was hoping to check the blood trail with the Kudupoints but the rain kind of messed that up. Typical mountain thunderstorm. Lasted about ten minutes but came down hard. I knew I hit him and could see the blood spot on his side as he was going away. He was maybe 200 yards away when he went over the hill and maybe 50 yards down the other side. Fortunately it was pretty open. There was some tissue poking out the entrance holelike a plug. The entrance was a bit back. I didn't take time for an autopsy but I think it went through the diaphragm and at least one lung. The cavity was full of blood.

 

[Short Track]

I did a brisket shoot with a rifle. Gun jammed for the follow up shot. I had blood for 300 yards. The last drop of blood was on asphalt, as the doe ran across a road way. Never found her, I looked for 2 days.... …